Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipes

Memorial Day is coming up next weekend! Whether you’re hosting a gathering or simply bringing a side dish (hi, I’m Jeanine – the family salad maker), here are a few veggie-ful party recipe ideas. Click on the links or directly on the photos to go to the recipes: First up: Instead of meticulously assembling appetizers, you can set out a bunch of ingredients for this Mix & Match Crostini Bar so your guests can assemble their own toppings. Include some gluten free crackers and at least one vegan spread (like the vegan pesto shown above) and you’ll have all of your bases covered. It’s…

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CSA Box Strategies + a Farmhouse Salad

I’ve talked about this over and over on here, but one of my favorite ways to incorporate fresh produce into my meals is through my local Texas CSA delivery that I get bi-weekly. The fruits and vegetables are grown from local farms and when my “bushel” arrives, the contents are always a surprise! There’s no better way in my opinion to eat hyper local than by signing up for a local CSA box – and they can be found all over the country. BUT – I’ll be honest – sometimes it can be a bit daunting. Finding ways to eat and store the vegetables…

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Healthy Easter Brunch Recipes

This blog is nothing if not seasonal, so let’s celebrate the holiday where rabbits lay the most delicious eggs – Easter! In all seriousness, this holiday means two things to me – brunch with family & friends and the start of berry season (yay!). So I’ve picked out a few recipes you could serve at an Easter brunch, and a few that are less Easter-y and just scream spring me to me (I’m looking at you, Sunshine Chia Bowls). You can click directly on the photos to go to each recipe: Avocado Almondaise Tartines (pictured above) Shakshuka with Spinach and Harissa Tart Cherry…

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Austin Restaurant Guide: SXSW 2017

Since I know some of you are heading to Austin this week for SXSW, I thought I’d share an updated list of favorite places to eat and drink in my town. I’ve written a few of these posts in the past, but things change so quickly! Here are some of our newest favorites as well as some old stand-by’s. I’ve also included some of my favorite shops and other activities in case you would like to see some sights in between meals 🙂 LUNCH: (although many of these are great for a casual dinner) Saigon le vendeur (pictured below) This…

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Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles are a great vegetarian weeknight dinner! Made with tahini, lime, almond butter, ginger, and plenty of veggies.

I have more than a few soba noodle recipes on this site, but I’ve decided that THIS recipe is my new favorite. These noodles are rich, tangy, creamy, sweet and a little spicy, with loads of kale mixed in – I love meals like this for weeknight dinners. The formula is simple: sauce + noodles + seasonal vegetables. Check, check, and check. The sauce can be made in advance and the rest can be assembled fairly quickly. First, let’s talk about this sauce because it’s the main component of this recipe. It’s tangy, nutty, salty, and lightly sweet. It’s sweetened with Truvia Nectar,…

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Almost-Spring Recipes

I think it’s safe to say that no matter what climate you live in, we’re all experiencing a version of spring fever. It’s been exceptionally beautiful in Austin lately which makes me want to cook (or in some cases, just assemble) meals that are light and fresh and full of green things. Here are some of my favorites that I’ve been in the mood for lately. Click on the photos or the links to go to the full recipes. Spring Broccolini & Kale Quinoa Bowls (pictured above) These are packed with roasted chickpeas, broccolini, radishes, herbs, and avocado. Serve with a…

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5 Tips for a Healthy Morning Routine

After such a positive response to this post that I wrote last month, I’m back with some more healthy little tips – this time I’m giving a little sneak peak at what my morning routine looks like. Yours might be more or less busy/hectic than mine – I work from home and don’t have kids to get off to school – but hopefully there are a couple of tidbits in here to inspire. 1. Wake up & take a sec to cuddle with the dog. I’m one of those people that doesn’t need an alarm clock because we have 2 hungry…

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Easy Power Lunch Bowls

Simple vegan bowls filled with roasted sweet potato, marinated chickpeas, avocado, kale, hemp seeds, tahini & lemon make a healthy, filling lunch or dinner!

Most people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I personally get most excited about lunch. People who say “I was too busy, I forgot to eat lunch”… I don’t get you. But maybe I’m the only weirdo who eats breakfast and then immediately starts counting down the hours ’til lunch? This bowl was inspired by one ordinary day last week when I made a quick lunch for myself with kale, sweet potatoes, some other things I had on hand, and these Yves Kale & Quinoa Bites. It’s definitely an “I work from home” kind of lunch, but the whole thing…

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Healthier Game Day Recipes

our favorite vegetarian superbowl snacks and meals including Healthy Loaded Vegan Nachos, Super Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and more!

Ok, so aside from watching the Cubs win this year, I’m not what you would call a sports fan. I know the Super Bowl is this Sunday but I have no clue who’s playing and if I had to guess (without googling it), I’d embarrass myself by naming teams from the wrong sport. But sportsball aside, here are a bunch of taco-nacho-ey-pizza-ish recipes that you might consider serving this weekend. I’d be game to eat any of these… game or no game. pictured above: Super Stuffed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes pictured above: Healthy Loaded Vegan Nachos Mango Goji Guacamole / Sweet Potato Avocado…

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My favorite healthy recipes

It’s January, which is like Christmas here in healthy food blogger land. Green smoothies, fresh bowls of vegetables, and hearty stews are all over social media. There’s not a cookie in sight and we don’t care because gorgeous healthy food is in abundance. For me, eating lighter doesn’t require juice cleanses or food fasts. I don’t like to feel hungry or deprived so instead I turn to recipes like these, a collection of my personal favorite plant-forward recipes that are both delicious and satisfying. (Click on the links OR the photos themselves to go directly to the recipes). Spiralized Daikon “Rice Noodle”…

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9 Tips for a Healthy & Happy New Year

This post is sponsored by Burt’s Bees. All words and photos are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep us cooking! Happy New Year! This is usually the post where I would list some sort of New Year’s Resolution… but today instead of talking about how I wish I would floss more or how I’m going to hit the gym more regularly (spoiler alert: I’m not), I thought I’d share some of the small things that make me feel happy and healthy throughout ANY week, new year’s or not. 1. Start the day on a healthy note. I…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.